Shoe-lace holder.



PATBNTED FEB, 3. 1903.

0. E. WETTLAUFER. SHOE LACE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 81131215, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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CONRAD E. WE'ITLAUFER, OF BUFFALO, NEW. YORK.

SHOE-LACE HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,540, dated February 3, 1 903. Application filed September 15, 1902. Serial No. 123,473. (No model.)

To all w/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD E. WETTLAU- FER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Lace Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in shoe-lace fasteners, or more particularly to that class of devices which are employed to temporarily secure the ends of a shoe-lace after it has been tied to prevent such ends from becoming accidentally unfastened. Constant contact with the skirt or trousers causes the lace to become loosened; and the object of my invention is to provide a simple, easilyadjusted, and effective device secured to each side of the front opening in the upper, at or near the top edge thereof, and adapted for the temporary reception and retention of the two ends of the lace-bow.

To that end my invention consists of certain details of construction, all of which will be fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of my improved fastener opened for the reception of one side of the lace-bow. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same in closed position, the open position being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 illustrates a shoe with a pair of my improved fasteners in position thereon.

Referring to the drawings, 1 (see Figs. 1 and 2) is the base, preferably disk-shaped and provided with the central circular orifice 2. This orifice is adapted for the reception of the securing-eyelet 3, (see Fig. 2,) which passes through such orifice and the upper-leather 4 and is upset on its inner end to permanently secure the base 1 of the fastener.

At the front of base 1 is the upturned lip or flange 5, having upon its inner face the socket or depression 6, located near its upper edge.

7 is the inclosing and retaining member,

thereto.

To secure the lace-bow, it is only necessary to swing the member 7 back into the position shown in Fig. 1, lay one side of the bow upon the base 1, and throw the member 7 around until the teat 9 springs into engagement with the socket 6. In this manner each side of the how can be securely retained in one of my improved fasteners, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, which effectively prevents the lace from accidental unfastening through contact with the skirt or trousers. The bow of the lace is as easily unfastened by applying pressure to the member 7 to swing it out of engagement with the base 1, which permits the bow to be readily removed from the fastener, when it can be untied.

It will be seen that the springcatch is entirely within the device when in locked position, thus presenting no obstructions whatever for the skirt or trousers to catch upon.

I claim A shoe-lace fastener consisting of the diskshaped base 1, the upturned lip or flange 5 on the front of base 1 and having on its inner face the socket or depression 6, the diskshaped inclosing and retaining member 7 pivoted to the base 1 and adapted for opening and closing engagement in a plane parallel with such base, and the teat or spur 9 upon the front of member 7 adapted for spring engagement with the socket or depression 6 of the base, all combined and operating as and for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CONRAD E. WETTLAUFER.

Witnesses:

A. J. LEID, W. T. MILLER. 

